


The Ghost of Felucia

by marzantd



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Force Ghost(s), Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-09-25 10:44:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17119883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marzantd/pseuds/marzantd
Summary: The Jedi general Aayla Secura makes a discovery just before her fatal mission to Felucia, and lives on in the Force after her death.





	The Ghost of Felucia

**Far Outer Rim. Unknown system.**

**The dying days of the Clone Wars.**

Aayla's eyes flew open. Immediately she was aware, conscious, of so much that was happening around her. The bridge was in chaos, and before she even turned her head to look she could sense that there were several clones who had not survived the sudden exit from hyperspace. Their recent deaths stood out in the Force like wounds in the flesh of her command.

A clone naval officer caught Aayla's eye as he hurried past. CN-8665. He opened his mouth to ask if Aayla was hurt, but before he could, she stood up and walked over to the Acclamator's holoterminal.

"General!" Commander Bly said, standing opposite her, nursing a wound on his arm. "Good to see you're back on your feet. We probably hit something in transit to the Outer Rim, got off course. We're trying to calculate our position now but it's slow going."

Aayla nodded. "Most of our instruments are out, I see. Have we done local scanning? Is there anywhere we can land?"

"There's a planet in this gravity well, thankfully. Breathable atmosphere, lot of life, and we can reach it with our sublight engines. We might not have much of a choice, either, given..." 

"Yes, we've got no comms, no hyperdrive, no navigation, practically nothing." Aayla exhaled sharply. "How does something like this happen? We shouldn't have hit any obstacles on our route, never mind been redirected like this."

"That's what we're trying to figure out, Sir. In the meantime we'll have to move soon if we're going to reach that planet. What's your order?"  
  
"Set course for the unknown world. Prepare to land. Whatever's down there, we'll have to hope it's enough to help us get back to the fleet."

* * *

 

The LAAT gunship soared through the planet's dense atmosphere. Visibility was very low, and the clone pilots were having to fly cautiously on instruments. Aayla had joined the expeditionary party, reasoning that she would be of more use on the ground than stuck on the ship, which had turned out to be the right decision. Without her Force abilities, finding a suitable landing site would have been difficult.

Aayla stood with one hand on the outer wall of the ship, eyes closed. She was linked to the pilots in their cockpits not just through her comm but through connections that ran much deeper. She could feel the life outside the ship, everywhere, thick, tangled, rotting and blooming, as though she were lying enclosed by a knot of tree roots. It was difficult to keep concentration through the flood of feeling, but she made sure to keep the pilots informed as much as possible about anything their instruments could not detect. Anything such as-

"There!" she said suddenly. It had appeared at the periphery of her awareness -  a great gap in the solid wall of life and Force that surrounded the ship. It was the only suitable spot for their landing, the only one that held even a little respite from the endless choking life. She informed the pilots of its position and the ship changed direction, speeding toward the spot she had felt, but as they drew closer, she felt a pit in her stomach begin to form. 

The clones around her were helmeted, their expressions hidden, but she could feel that they were uneasy. As the gunship touched down and the hold doors opened, the clones instinctively raised their weapons, as though they were heading into a landing zone swarming with droids. Aayla, too, felt her hands brush her lightsabers. There was an oppressive, threatening air here. Together, they dropped out into the marshy ground and began their search. 

There was so much here to Aayla. As far as her consciousness could reach, there was life, but beyond that, there was something nearby that nagged at her awareness, tugging her inexorably toward something. She felt the struggle, not only between herself and whatever was trying to tempt her toward it, but in the endless conflict between dark and light. Both were strong here. She must have been taken to this world by some purpose in the Force - but which side? And why had it diverted not only herself, but a whole division of troopers seeking to end the horrific war that had consumed the galaxy? 

Bly interrupted her thoughts. "There's nothing here but trees, snakes and mud," he said, slinging his blaster over his shoulder. "We should get back to the ship and help with repairs."

"There is something here," Aayla corrected, "I know that you feel it too. You're uneasy."  
  
"It's just this planet, Sir. Something's not right. But there's nothing around that will help us get back to the Republic fleet, and to Felucia, so I've got to insist we head back."

Aayla considered. There was a purpose to this place. Maybe not for her - perhaps she was just caught up in some swirling meeting of Force energies, pulled along by the currents of the Force, and her only purpose was to keep her head above its waters. Even so, she had to find out.

"I'll leave command of the landing party up to you, Bly. I have to stay here. I'll keep comms with the ship until I've worked out why, but..."

Bly shook his head and chuckled. "Jedi business, huh? Alright, I'll tell the boys and they can make up their own mind. Good luck, General, and try not to get killed." Bly intended it to be dryly humorous, but Aayla could detect the real concern in him, and he must have known she could. Without another word, he walked off, disappearing into the mist.

Aayla tried to clear her mind of concerns about her clones. She could already barely feel Bly, his life was overwhelmed by the teeming mass of trees and other living things around him. She steeled herself and headed in the direction of the emptiness, of whatever had been calling out to her. As she approached, the lights of life around her seemed to be snuffed out one by one. She knew that it was only her awareness that was changing, but still it unnerved her. Soon the Force grew stronger in her mind again, and she thought she had become lost, but as the power of it became nearly overwhelming, she knew that she had found where she needed to be.

It appeared to be an unassuming tree, much like any other on this world that was covered in them, but it concealed something. A darkness. Underneath its gnarled roots, there was an opening. And a presence.

Aayla stepped in. Her trial, whatever it would be, would surely begin now.


End file.
